Rk Team Rec

1 Ohio State 4-0

Another game, another ho-hum performance by the Buckeyes. They didn't need to break much of a sweat in breezing past Western Michigan 38-12. As planned, Cardale Jones started at quarterback, and according to Urban Meyer, was just OK. The Buckeyes have won 17 straight games, and maybe they're held to a different standard, but they haven't played like one of the best teams in the country the past two weeks.

2 Ole Miss 4-0

The Alabama hangover was worse than expected -- but the Rebels still prevailed. Ole Miss, coming off its wild win over the Crimson Tide, had its hands full with an inspired Vanderbilt team that wasn't interest in being a speed bump. The Rebels finally pulled away for a 27-16 win, but did so despite penalties, mistakes and missed opportunities in the red zone.

3 Michigan State 4-0

The 30-10 win over Central Michigan was blah enough. It was only a seven-point game in the third quarter, but the real bummer for Sparty was star offensive tackle Jack Conklin going down in the first half with a knee injury. Outside of quarterback Connor Cook, Conklin might be the least dispensable player on Michigan State's team, so there will be a lot of people in East Lansing holding their breath and hoping Conklin's injury isn't too serious.

3 UCLA 4-0

It's hard to argue with UCLA's resume to this point. The Bruins have been impressive despite losing key players, and they went on the road Saturday and shredded Arizona 56-30 in a game that was never really close. UCLA raced out to a 28-7 lead in the second quarter, led 42-14 at the half and showcased the kind of offensive and defensive firepower that could make the Bruins a favorite in every game they play the rest of the way in the regular season.

5 Notre Dame 4-0

Coach Brian Kelly could sense that the edge was missing and let his team have it at halftime with a fiery speech about playing to a standard. The Irish were in total cruise control in the second quarter and clinging to a 21-20 lead against UMass, but exploded for 41 unanswered points to win 62-35. It's a Notre Dame team that's been unbelievably resilient. We find out next week at Clemson if it's a Notre Dame team that's a legitimate playoff contender.

6 LSU 3-0

When you start hearing comparisons to Herschel Walker, Bo Jackson and Adrian Peterson, that's pretty heady stuff. But Leonard Fournette has been out of this world this season. The sophomore tailback rushed for more than 200 yards for the second straight week, and LSU held off determined Syracuse 34-24 at the Carrier Dome. The schedule for LSU is favorable over the next few weeks, and the Tigers could easily be 7-0 when they go to Alabama on Nov. 7.

7 TCU 4-0

Too bad the Horned Frogs don't get any bonus points for entertainment value. They survived a red-hot Texas Tech team at home and three laterals at the end by the Red Raiders to win 55-52 in a game that featured 11 lead changes, 1,357 yards of total offense and 69 first downs. It took a tipped touchdown pass in the back of the end zone for the winning points, and even though TCU has given up 89 points in its last two games, these are the kinds of games you have to win sometimes if you're going to win a championship.

8 Georgia 4-0

Nick Chubb is chasing Herschel Walker's records and racking up 100-yard rushing performances on a weekly basis, but he's been relegated to the second-best running back in the SEC because of what Leonard Fournette has done the past two weeks. Even so, Chubb has been terrific, and the Dawgs roll into their home game against Alabama next week playing as well as anybody in the SEC after blasting Southern 48-6.

9 Utah 4-0

Don't look now, but the Utes seem intent on making some serious noise in the Pac-12 race this season. They didn't just beat Oregon at Autzen Stadium on Saturday night. They destroyed the Ducks 62-20, and with the season-opening win over Michigan, they have a ton of momentum.

10 Baylor 3-0

The Bears have been inundated with news off the field this season, but it's on the field where they want to separate themselves. Quarterback Seth Russell helped make that possible Saturday by tying a school record with six touchdown passes in a 70-17 destruction of Rice. Baylor hasn't exactly played a killer schedule to this point, but the Big 12 season starts next weekend at home against Texas Tech.

11 Alabama 3-1

The passing game is still spotty, although Jake Coker did manage to throw three touchdown passes. But Alabama's 34-0 win over Louisiana-Monroe was all about defense. The Crimson Tide might have to ride that defense if they're going to have a chance to repeat as SEC champions. They held the Warhawks to 92 total yards and didn't allow them to get a first down for the first 23 minutes. The stakes go up considerably next week when Alabama travels to Georgia.

It might not have been an "A" effort for the Aggies on defense. But when it mattered, John Chavis' guys made enough plays in the clutch to keep Texas A&M unbeaten with a 28-21 win over Arkansas in overtime. Myles Garrett had a big sack and forced fumble late, and then cornerback DeVante Harris broke up a fourth-down pass in overtime to seal the deal. It's the second straight year that Texas A&M has come from behind to beat Arkansas.

13 Clemson 3-0

The prelims are over for Clemson, which was off this week after winning 20-17 at Louisville on Sept. 17. Notre Dame visits Death Valley on Saturday in a game that will thrust the winner squarely into the playoff picture. The Tigers were just good enough to get by against the Cardinals. They'll need to play their best game of the season to take down the Irish.

14 Florida State 3-0

The Seminoles were idle this week after winning at Boston College the previous Friday. They play at Wake Forest on Saturday before getting their next big test in two weeks at Miami. The bye week came at a good time for FSU, which needs to get its passing game going and get some guys healthy.

15 Oklahoma 3-0

The Sooners were off this week and should be rested for next week's home game against West Virginia. The Big 12 race is going to get mighty interesting over these next few weeks, and right now, there doesn't appear to be a clear favorite. Why not Oklahoma, which has found a quarterback in Baker Mayfield and is putting up big numbers offensively?

16 Stanford 3-1

When quarterback Kevin Hogan plays well, Stanford usually plays well. Despite a bum ankle, he threw a pair of touchdown passes Friday night in a 42-24 win at Oregon State. But the real star for the Cardinal was Christian McCaffrey with 303 all-purpose yards. The Cardinal have looked like a different team since that opening-week loss at Northwestern.

16 Northwestern 4-0

OK, the Wildcats aren't bulldozing anybody, but they keep winning and are now 4-0. There were more than a few scary moments against Ball State on Saturday in a shaky 24-19 win, but the win over Stanford looks better each week. The Duke win also looks a little better this week. Can the Wildcats get it done in Big Ten play?

18 USC 3-1

Good luck in figuring out USC, which lost at home a week ago to Stanford, but bounced back Saturday night by winning easily at Arizona State in a 42-14 romp that saw Cody Kessler pass for 325 yards and five touchdowns. Arizona State won thanks to a Hail Mary last year at the end of the game, but USC never allowed it to get close this season, leading 35-0 at the half.

19 West Virginia 3-0

Sort of quietly, West Virginia has been going about its business without much fanfare in the first three games and clobbered Maryland 45-6 on Saturday. Dana Holgorsen's club has always been able to score, but the Mountaineers are also playing defense. They've given up just 23 points in their first three games. If that keeps up, look out. Their next test will be their stiffest: at Oklahoma.

20 Oklahoma State 4-0

Don't forget about the Cowboys in the Big 12 race. They may have been the forgotten team back in August. But after a 4-0 start, including Saturday's 30-27 win at Texas in the final seconds, Oklahoma State is positioned to make a run. Quarterback Mason Rudolph shared snaps with J.W. Walsh after throwing three interceptions Saturday.

21 Wisconsin 3-1

The season-opening loss to Alabama must have just made the Badgers mad because they've gone three straight nonconference games now without allowing a touchdown. We'll learn a lot more about the Badgers next week, when they take on Iowa in the first of four straight home games for Wisconsin.

22 California 4-0

Back-to-back road wins are never anything to scoff at, and that's what Cal has done the last two weeks. The Bears' defenders say they're glad to be carrying the team right now rather than being some type of hindrance.

23 Michigan 3-1

Jim Harbaugh says simply that the Wolverines are coming along after their 31-0 demolition of BYU on Saturday. The truth is that Michigan is one of the more improved teams in the country after opening the season with a 24-17 loss at Utah, a top-10 team as we move into October. The Wolverines have run for more than 200 yards in every game since that loss and have given up a total of 14 points in their last three games. That's a winning combination.

24 Florida 4-0

There's no getting around the fact that the Gators are severely limited offensively, but they're also unbeaten after pulling off a stunning fourth-quarter comeback to edge Tennessee 28-27. First-year coach Jim McElwain has done a terrific job to get the Gators through the first month unscathed. They're not a great team by any stretch, but they're finding ways to win games and are good enough defensively to be in every game they play the rest of the way.

25 Boise State 3-1